This invention relates generally to acupuncture points and apparatus and techniques employed in operations performed thereon. This invention also relates to roller-type apparatus.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese art of puncturing the body with long, fine gold or silver needles to relieve pain and cure disease. Apparatus have been designed which bear a reciprocating needle, which needle is employed to apply repeated stimulation to an acupuncture point. The application of acupuncture as an anesthetic technique is the usage which has most interested Western doctors.
In view of the popularity of acupuncture therapy in the world today, much research has been undertaken. It has been found that the acupuncture meridians of the body can be influenced in various ways, the insertion of acupuncture needles being but one method. Repeated stimulation of acupuncture points has been shown to result in beneficial effects upon the body.
An apparatus which would enable an individual to easily stimulate the acupuncture meridians of his body would be desirable. A number of roller devices have been developed which enable an individual to self-massage certain muscles, but none of these roller devices are capable of stimulating acupuncture points.